Govt. Announces 240 Million For Seniors Care

Sep 25, 2018 | 11:32 AM

Premier John Horgan has announced a bundle of cash to follow through on an election promise to improve seniors care in British Columbia.

Horgan says 240 million dollars will be spent over three years to boost staffing and ensure people in care homes get the service they need.

“There’s going to be more people here to help you. We’re going to transition part-time workers to full-time work. We’ve created college spaces to train more LPN’s, to train more care aides.

Horgan was speaking at a care facility in New Westminster.

The goal is to reach a standard of 3.36 hours per-resident day, on average.

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“That contribution will mean there’s going to be more people to help you with meals, more people to help you with bathing, more people to help you move around and in your twilight years after the great contribution you’ve made to British Columbia, you deserve nothing less.”

The government says over the past year , 330 health-care aides were converted to full-time positions, with another 500 to follow this year.

“And that gives us of course, a huge opportunity to expand care with experienced people and give people a better quality of work as well, better quality of care, better quality of work, better quality of consistency of care in communities.”

Dix says 1500 staff from care aides to nurses to other health-care professionals will be added over the three year period.

That breaks down to:

*900 health-care aides;
* 165 registered nurses;
* 300 licensed practical nurses;
* 50 allied health-care professionals(physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers); and
* 100 other health-care workers, including rehabilitation assistants, activity aides and other allied health-care workers.

In addition, dedicated funding is being provided to support seniors to continue living in their own homes longer and help delay or avoid them having to move to residential care.

As part of Budget 2018, $75 million over three years is being dedicated to expand respite care and adult day programs to better support family and friend caregivers.

by Tom Mark